How Does The Garden Grow

It has been a number of years since I planted a garden. This year it seemed like God was nudging me to do it, so I have. As I look out my kitchen window I see some large green tomatoes, herbs, and other interesting things that managed to survive my handiwork. Most house plants I have had have died a slow death, so this garden flourishing seems unusual for me. This morning God answered the question above for me.

Dueteronomy 28:12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Deuteronomy 15:10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

The answer is really simple. God is blessing the work of our hands. He teaches us His ways, and He blesses our ability to follow Him. He even picks us up when we fall down, brushes us off, and puts us back on the path.

God is good!

Prayer
Father, we praise You our Most High King. Thank You for your blessings in our lives. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Please forgive us our errors. We ask that You show Yourself strong on our behalf with healing, deliverance, and provision that all men might know that You alone have done this. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Father To Father

Today is Father’s Day and to all my fellow fathers I wish you a very happy and fun day with your families. As I thought about this day and prepared for a cook out with my family, it occurred to me that we all have separate fathers, but we are all also bound together by the fact that we all have the same Father, our God and King. On this day, I find myself wanting to give Him a gift. But, what do you give someone that has everything.

Psalms 50:7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.
8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.
9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

As I thought about this, it became obvious the one gift I could give my heavenly Father. Me. More of me, at least. The one thing that God wants is us. He wants us to be His family. He wants to provide for us and care for us.

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

So, on this day, we all can celebrate together, even though we are apart. For one thing is true, we all have the greatest Father, our God and King.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are the Most High. Thank You for all You do for us. Thank You for being our Dad. Forgive us when we forget You, don’t stop by for a visit, don’t call, or just get too busy. We don’t want to do that. Help us. Help us be more like You. Please send today Your deliverance, healing, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Over All The Earth

Today as I was enjoying the Sabbath I noticed how green everything was in the backyard and forest. It made me think about how God has given us the earth to watch over.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Interestingly enough man was created from the beginning to be like God. Here He gave us charge over everything. Sometimes when I look at the world like the creation of God that it is, I can get a sense of this direction given to us from the beginning. It is as if I can sense the responsibility we have to watch over it all. When Jesus returns, I believe we will all have areas of the new heaven and earth to watch over and take care of just as we have had here. It is like a training ground here for that day. Just some interesting thoughts on a Sabbath day.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Please forgive us when we mess up Your creation. Help us to be better stewards over all You give us. Please send us today Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Wanting And Doing

Like Paul, I think we all have had moments where we do what we think we should not do and we don’t do what we think we should be doing.

Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

This is the same Paul that told us to work out our own salvation.

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

This always made me feel like I had to be right all of the time. However, if we read on Paul says something more interesting.

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

What I did not understand until this morning is that God is working in us to give us the desire to follow him. Then He also helps us to do it. Paul spoke to this in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So there is a war in us, our flesh that has sin in it and our renewed spirit where God is working. Working this out seems top mean focus on God to work with Him, letting Him do His work in us. For me, this means spending time reading scriptures, praying, and singing praise.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You have given so much to us. We thank You. Please forgive us when we do not cooperate with You to change our lives. We need You in our lives to change our lives. Please send ministering spirits to the aid of your people today. Send us Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Thankful In Victory

My wife and I spoke about cartoons this morning and how they leave the viewers feeling that life always turns out and we will always get through without a scratch. She expressed concern for our daughter thinking that life is like that and that she might not see danger coming as a result. Understanding that these works of art are meant to be light hearted and our daughter has certain special needs, I believe we can still learn something from this. We can learn that there are different situations in life, and these different situations can have very different perspectives. This is especially true when we read the scriptures.

As believers, we can know, understand, and productively use these different perspectives in our lives. The three most common I can think of involve an element of time. Before something happens, while something is happening, and after something happens. This really is one of the repetitive themes of being a believer and getting a victory in our life. When we trust in God, we can know that the promises He has made to us will come to pass in the end. In essence, by faith we have hope to “see” the end from the beginning.

Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

This is why we have so many examples in scripture, or at least a part of the reason. We search these things to gain an understanding of who God is that we might build our faith to believe that He will help us. Our part is to but follow Him as best we can. We are to praise Him at all times. This is that repetitive message that David shared so often. He offered songs (psalms) to God before, during, and after the battle. He did this because He spent time with God and knew Him for who He is, not just His acts. We can too. If we give God our time and our praise then we can experience what David experienced. We can walk out our lives from before the battle begins until the sweet taste of victory is like honey on our lips where thank God in the victory, not the battles.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You are majestic above the earth. You are our great Deliverer King. Help us to gain understanding and knowledge of You. Help us when we become afraid and have doubts. Teach us to have faith, trusting in You for our victories. Please rise up in power today, Father, and send us Your miraculous healing for those in need. Please send Your deliverance. And please send Your overflowing abundant provision that all men may know that You alone are the One True God and that You stand for Your people. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

In His Name

When we pray, it is common for us to end our prayer with something like, “in the name of Jesus” or in some way mentioning the name of the Lord. There are many scriptures that talk about the name of Jesus, but I have wondered about this idea.

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I have wondered what this meant to those that heard this originally may have thought. In verse nine Paul says God gave Him a name above every name. Why would this matter and what would the original readers of this letter thought of this comment? If they were Jewish, they would have had many examples from David and others in the scriptures they had at that time.

Psalms 61:5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

David said he received the heritage (the inheritance) of those that fear God’s name. In verse eight David says he will sing praises to His name, and that somehow this makes it possible for David to live (perform his vows). Two points here. Singing praises to God’s name must be a weapon of spiritual warfare because it results in our ability to live. Secondly, Jesus was not born yet, but there is the concept of the name of God being important. The word “name” in Hebrew indicates position. David was speaking about praising the position of God, because that is what a name does for us. It gives us the position of the person. David does this in yet another psalm.

Psalms 83:13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.
17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.

In this passage David is asking that his enemies be destroyed in a mighty way so that all men may know that the one and only one that has the position of being the Self Existent (Eternal) One is the most high over everything in the world. Again, this is before Jesus.

When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, this was the frame of mind it was falling on in those readers. They understood the idea of “in the name of” referring to position. It is a phrase that calls upon the authority. And when Paul said there was a name above every name, it was His Jewish name Yeshua, which means Jehovah is salvation or wholeness. When we pray or say something in the name of Jesus, we are saying that we are speaking for the King, the Self Existent Eternal One who is wholeness. That is the power of what we are saying when we battle our enemy in prayer and praise.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. Thank You for defeating and destroying our enemies. Please forgive us when we do not use Your name to produce Your kingdom in the earth. Please help us to be better representatives of Your kingdom. We ask that You bring Your kingdom in our lives today with healing, deliverance, and abundant provision that all men may know that you alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Need To Be Okay

Over the last few days in talking with friends and just dealing with my own life one thing has occurred to me. In the past this subject has come up for me, and I did not think about it as directly as I did this morning. It seems within us, or at least most of us, there is this drive to be “okay” – we want to think we did or said the right thing at the right time in the right way. I believe this is what was written many times in the psalms, and why we believers, before we are believers, are drawn to Jesus.

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalms 130:1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7 Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Perhaps the most important thing for me from thinking about the need to be right is that it helps me to get back to the beginning. I chose Jesus not because I was a good guy, but because I am not and He is. If we will let ourselves realize that we will not always be okay, then we can also let ourselves go back to Jesus everyday and seek that forgiveness and cleansing that onlyt Jesus, the Rock of our salvation, is able to bring us. Then we will be okay.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Thank You for this new day. We ask that You renew us today. We have made and will make mistakes. We can only make it with You, we cannot make it on our own. We ask that today You send Your Spirit in a mighty way into our homes and towns. Send us Your reviving Spirit that all may know You alone are our God. Please send today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Bigger Than The Ocean

Back in high school I remember this one team we played that was their JV team. We were only freshmen. They looked really big compared to our guys. I can remember thinking to myself that they looked gigantic, and I wondered how we would beat them. Somehow we did beat them 6-0, but I always remembered that game and one play where a guy hit me on a kickoff and I went flying. I think it has stayed with me all these years because of the size difference, yet we won. This morning as I was praying I was directed to the Psalms, and the psalm I read reminded me that no matter how big the opposition is, our God is bigger.

Psalms 93:1 The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
4 The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.

For me, I can see life as an ocean of huge waves at times. I can wonder at just how we will navigate one situation or another. The answer is our God is far above and big problem we may face. He will deliver us, just as He always has. His work is sure, and He will complete His work in us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the One True God. You alone are worthy of our praise today. We thank You for the work of Your hands. We praise You as You are on High above any ocean of problems we may bring to You. We ask today that You forgive us when we do not believe, when we give place to our fears, and ask You help us overcome these things. Please send today Your deliverance, healing, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

In Us And Around Us

This morning as I was praying about what to read, I was directed to Psalms 63. As I read it I was comforted by some things I had not seen before.

Psalms 63:1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

David was longing to see in the wilderness the same miraculous things he saw daily in the temple. In the temple the sacrifices were consumed by fire sent from God, not fires lit by man. This was miraculous at every offering. Once David was in the wilderness, he had to think back to those things he had seen in the temple to comfort him. He also knew that the same God that did those miracles in the temple would also do valiantly on his behalf in the desert, delivering him from his enemies and those that spoke evil of him. We can be like David here, if we stop to think about it.

Can you remember how it felt when you became a believer? That feeling of newness and change was a wonderful moment. That was God doing a miracle in each of us. We individually and collectively are the temple today. If we will remember the miracle God did in us, and other changes He has made in us, then we can also experience Him as He changes what is around us as well. We can take comfort in knowing that this is that same miracle working God, and He alone is our deliverer, just as He was for David.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. Thank You for being our deliverer. Thank You for destroying our enemies before us. Forgive us when we turn away from You and Your ways. Please always help us to turn toward You and not away. Help us to believe that You are there helping us to move toward victory in this life and toward life ever lasting. We ask that today You send Your deliverance, healing, and supernatural provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Traveling Conditions

Many of us will have opportunity this summer to travel. Some do it for work and some for pleasure. If we have loved ones that will be traveling separate from us, we can find ourselves missing them and praying for their happiness and safety on their journey. As my daughter goes off for the summer to spend time with her dad (I am her step-father), I find myself in this frame of mind. My wife and I worry for her and hope that she will be well taken care of during her absence. As I thought about that this morning, I was reminded of a scripture about traveling.

Luke 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.

Jesus was sending His disciples off to preach. But the one thing I think about here is how they had to trust Him. They had to believe that God would take care of them. They had to know that they would be okay. I think we can learn from this.

Jesus is the Lord of life and the Lord of the Sabbath. On this Sabbath day we can rest in the knowledge that we and our loved ones will be safe and cared for on the roads we travel, together or separately.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Thank You for watching over us and our loved ones, both at home and on the road. When the paths we choose do not line up with Your paths, please forgive us and help us get back on Your path. Only You are worthy of our trust. Please send us Your deliverance, healing, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.